It's a funny thing living in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area, a community of well over 250,000 people about 45 minutes south of DC, where the RWM and only game in town - the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star - tightly screens its news and commentary to suit its own red-state political agenda.Come close to election time and it gets very difficult for someone with blue-state sensibilities to see in print in the Free Lance-Star his or her letter to the editor. Consider it nearly impossible for a progressive's longer op/ed piece to appear.
The head of the Free Lance-Star editorial board assured (this writer) that the piece you are about to read - edited down as requested by the publisher to under 950 words - would make it to print by Wednesday, November 1. He said he felt it was entirely appropriate that (he) allow it to run, given that so many local Republican letters and op/ed pieces were green-lighted.
This writer had the editorial board director's word...or, so (I) thought.
On Saturday, Oct. 28, volunteers for Democratic candidates set out across Stafford County to distribute literature for Jim Webb for Senate, Shawn O'Donnell for Congress, and Cindy Sellers for Stafford County Treasurer. One team of volunteers that included a 20-something man and his infant son, entered a Southern Stafford neighborhood to "drop lit". Upon entering a particular subdivision, they were intercepted in a car by a woman who later identified herself as the Associate Publisher of the Free Lance-Star. (She) informed the volunteers that they were prohibited by law from using newspaper delivery boxes for distribution of campaign literature and (she) asked them to leave. (Please refer to a recent RK diary on Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star for some truly horrifying details).
Three days after the Oct. 28 lit drop, however, this writer would find out from a trusted source within the Free Lance-Star editorial group that the op/ed piece submitted and promised to run, would almost certainly not run. No reason was given other than the paper wanted to publish smaller letters to the editor.
Could this writer's op/ed have been pulled out of political spite resulting from the intercepted lit drop? Is the publisher of the Free Lance-Star concerned that on Nov. 7 (our side) might actually do quite well in the Fredericksburg area?
Please take a look at the op/ed that follows...and you be the judge:
To the Editor:
Stafford (Va.)voters will go to the polls November 7, with the choice of keeping things the same or starting anew. The Democratic Party slate in Stafford County represents clear-headed leadership, boldness, independence, and most importantly, responsible government. Now is the time for a new direction GÇô both on the national and local level - and we urge you to vote for our candidates:
Jim Webb for U.S. Senate
We view the U.S. Senate match-up as a contrast between a preening incumbent that has voted with President Bush 94 percent of the time and a true American patriot that will honestly and forcefully deal with the mess in Iraq, bring our troops home with honor, protect our homeland, provide health care for our veterans, reduce the national debt, and restore our constitutional system of checks and balances. Webb supporters have exchanged greetings with hundreds of registered voters at fairs and large local gatherings, such as the Fourth of July Heritage Festival in Fredericksburg and Stafford Discovery Days; many of them GÇô Republicans and Independents - approached our tables in large numbers to say: WeGÇÖre voting for Jim Webb!
To borrow from Lemony Snicket, Sen. Allen has suffered a series of unfortunate events. And to us, the well-known GÇ£Macaca MomentGÇ¥ and other amazingly poor judgments showed behavior unbecoming of a United States Senator.
But, putting the SenatorGÇÖs personal prejudices and idiotic comments aside, what we find most inexcusable is George AllenGÇÖs unwavering support for President BushGÇÖs war in Iraq. And we think that repeating the PresidentGÇÖs GÇ£stay the courseGÇ¥ rhetoric will be Sen. AllenGÇÖs undoing. The tide is turning, and Jim Webb is being recognized as the right candidate for the United States Senate. So please vote for Jim Webb, and further, tell your friends and family to vote for him as well.
Shawn OGÇÖDonnell for Congress (First District)
Some people that we have met have said of Rep. Jo Ann Davis that she is a nice person. Well, nice is nice. It is a wonderful quality in a student body president. But nice, in the embodiment of Mrs. Davis, has yielded a member of Congress that does what disgraced former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and embattled Speaker of the House Denny Hastert have told her to do: rubber-stamp George W. BushGÇÖs policies 94 percent of the time.
Nice bought the First District no critical oversight or checks against the PresidentGÇÖs War in Iraq. Nice provided lip service to our men and women in uniform as Mrs. Davis voted against providing our troops in battle an extra $1,800 in hazardous duty pay. Nice got us $3 trillion in national debt that equates to $10,000 for every man, woman, and child in the United States (or $6.5 billion for the entirety of the First Congressional District). What would you do with an extra $6.5 billion?
Shawn OGÇÖDonnell will be a trusted and independent voice for the First District. He is a tough, passionate, but fair-minded leader that will vote to end the War in Iraq, and keep us safer at home by strengthening Homeland Security. He will make sure our men and women in combat have the body-armor they need. He will improve health care for all Americans, especially our veterans. HeGÇÖll work hard to eliminate the staggering national debt so that kids like my own are not saddled with a lifetime of financial hardship. And most of all, he will restore congressional oversight and uphold the system of checks and balances nearly eviscerated by President Bush and the Republican majority in Congress.
I know Shawn well. He is a good man and will make a great Congressman. Please vote for him on November 7.
Cindy Sellers for Stafford County Treasurer
Anyone who has suffered the indignities of a two-hour wait in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles is painfully aware that government serves least when it inconveniences most. And here in Stafford, where a disproportionate number of our residents work many miles from home, and spend hours in traffic, having to visit the Office of Stafford County Treasurer means a loss of work time and tremendous personal inconvenience.
Cindy Sellers gets that. As our next Stafford County Treasurer she will bring an unparalleled level of customer service to this, the most visible part of Stafford County government.
Her opponent in the race has a catchy campaign slogan, GÇ£Eliminate The County Decal.GÇ¥ And at a momentGÇÖs consideration, who could argue with that? But this is nothing more than a gimmick for the Office of Stafford County Treasurer is set up to collect tax revenue and has no constitutional authority to do away with those pesky car window stickers; such action would have to be adopted by a majority on the Board of Supervisors. If gimmickry is the best that this officeGÇÖs current head can muster, then definitely it is time for change at the top.
Cindy Sellers is not about gimmicks. She is a creative problem-solver, a talented financial and customer service professional, and a well respected and liked team-leader that will guide and empower the hard-working TreasurerGÇÖs Office staff to create better hours of service, more convenient payment options, and greater efficiencies GÇô all benefiting the taxpayers of Stafford County. Please vote for Cindy Sellers for Stafford County Treasurer.
So, itGÇÖs up to you, Stafford
The time has come for voters in Stafford to retire the rubber-stamp and bring positive change to government. Please vote for the Democratic Party candidates: Jim Webb for U.S. Senate, Shawn OGÇÖDonnell for Congress, and Cindy Sellers for Stafford County Treasurer.
You are right on!
Seems the media is only happy if we buy ads.
I was appauled when prior to the October 25 Williamsburg debate between O'Donnell and Davis started the news crews were packed up. I was informed "there job was done"!
Then to read the coverage in the paper the next day! It stayed clear from real issues debated.
Kify
I would be curious to know though if the paper has run similar multi-candidate endorsements from the other side (GOP supporters).
If I was on the editorial staff I would be reluctant to run any multi-candidate appeals period. Single candidate letters are one thing. Length of a letter is also a factor.
My inclination would be to say that a multi-candidate appeal is OK, provided that it runs as an advertisement.
Or you could try running this as three separate LTEs about three different candidates sent in by three different readers (e.g. breaking the LTE into three separate parts).
The general rule of thumb that most small to mid-sized circulation papers seem to use is:
1. single candidate focus,
2. preferrably on a single issue or topic;
3. 400 words or less.
The answer to your question is...YES!
stafford dems
The Free-Lance Star does have some good reporters, but I have to wonder about its editorial board. They were the first paper to break the Harris Miller cartoon story, they wrote an inane house ed recommending George Allen because he's "warm blooded", they ran a letter from a Bush speechwriter that was absolutely nonsensical.
People are going to stop reading the Free-Lance Star and start using it as a substitute for toilet paper. Maybe they already are.